When I was a young guy, growing up in eastern Iowa, it was a pretty peaceful place. Oh, there were a few places in Waterloo and Des Moines that prudent people avoided, and I can remember one or two major crimes, usually from those areas. But things are changing; the latest evidence of that comes from a business district near the University of Iowa in Iowa City, where early Sunday morning, a huge brawl broke out, with gunfire erupting. Five people were injured. As of this writing, there have been no deaths reported, although one victim is in critical condition.
Five people were wounded in a mass shooting near the University of Iowa campus after a large brawl that broke out early Sunday, police confirmed — as they shared a photo of five “persons of interest” in the carnage.
“One victim is in critical condition and the other four victims are in stable condition,” Iowa City Public Safety said in a Facebook post Sunday afternoon.
The posting includes a picture of five young men, and cops are asking for the public’s help in finding and identifying them.
“Anyone with information on the people pictured here are asked to contact Detective Cade Burma at [email protected] or 319-356-5275.”
Here’s that photo:
5 victims confirmed in University of Iowa mass shooting – as cops picture persons of interest https://t.co/OdVfRkOAlz pic.twitter.com/v8Ut4sgo6i
— New York Post (@nypost) April 19, 2026
Again, as of this writing, none of these people have been identified.
Also on Sunday, the Associated Press ran a statement from the University of Iowa’s president (Note: The incident did not take place on the campus, but in a nearby area frequented by students) and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.
University President Barbara Wilson said three (now five) students were wounded and that support was available for the campus community.
“While we await additional information, I am thinking about these students and their families, friends, and all the people who care about them. I am holding them close in my thoughts, along with everyone in our community who is hurting or feeling shaken right now,” Wilson said in a statement.
The university has about 31,000 students.
“This senseless act of violence has devastated the university community and our state,” said Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who offered state assistance with the investigation.
Iowa, even. This isn’t Chicago, or Detroit. But, it’s also not 1978. Not anymore. Iowa City is a small city in eastern Iowa, once the state capital but now centered around the University. But it seems a lot of the cultural rot infesting our society has spread even to small Midwestern cities.
Side note: Our oldest granddaughter took her undergraduate pre-med schooling at the U of Iowa. She made a point of telling us that she stayed in her dorm room after dark. She graduated two years ago. How things do change, and not always for the better.
This is a developing story. If any arrests are made, we’ll bring you the update.
Editor’s Note: The American people overwhelmingly support President Trump’s law and order agenda.
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